Rapper violates order, faces more prison time

BATON ROUGE, La. 
A Baton Rouge rapper who failed to follow a judge's instructions in a drug case will now have to serve about two years in prison instead of one.

Torrence "Lil Boosie" Hatch pleaded guilty in September to a third-offense marijuana possession charge, and state District Judge Chip Moore ordered the 26-year-old to be electronically monitored and to clear his concert dates with the court while awaiting sentencing.

Under a plea deal, Moore had been expected to sentence Hatch to 10 years in prison with all but the first two years suspended, meaning the rapper would likely serve about a year. But because Hatch violated portions of Moore's post-plea instructions, the judge sentenced him Monday to 10 years with all but the first four years suspended.

"The max he would do is two years," East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said after court.

James Manasseh, one of Hatch's attorneys, agreed with the district attorney's calculation.

Manasseh said his client left home without court permission and his electronic monitoring device died several times because he didn't charge it properly.

"They were not terribly severe violations," he said. "He just made some bad decisions on his part and the judge felt he had to send him a little bit of a message."

Moore told Hatch, "I really hope that you get it straight."

"You have the ability to change people's lives for the better, including your own," the judge said.

Lil Boosie's latest album, "Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz," was released in September and includes a the lead single "Better Believe It," featuring Young Jeezy and Webbie. The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200.

East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputies seized a bag of marijuana, a cigar containing the drug, and a gun from a car driven by Hatch on Oct. 22, 2008. Besides the marijuana charge, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, Hatch was charged with possession of a firearm with a controlled dangerous substance, which carries a mandatory minimum five-year term.

Moore said Hatch will be on probation for five years after he is released from prison.

The firearm charge is being held in abeyance. If Hatch successfully completes his probation, the charge will be dropped, prosecutors have said.

Manasseh said his client felt he had to leave his home so he could earn money for his family: "He felt he had to earn funds since he wouldn't be able to do so while he was in jail. He wasn't trying to thumb his nose at the judge, he just thought he was doing the right thing for his children. In the long run, though, he probably made it worse."